


Dedicating Every Day To You

by electribunny



Series: Check Please Oneshots [7]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, American South Typical Homophobia, Growing Up, Kid Fic, M/M, Teen Pregnancy, but it is described so i tagged it just in case, id like to say that the death is not graphic, spoiler: it is a death from childbirth so myb dont read if thats a trigger
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-14 17:08:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29299434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/electribunny/pseuds/electribunny
Summary: Samwell was beautiful. And things were going to plan. Except for the part where MK wasn’t with him. He held Alyssa in his arms as he walked to his dorm, his parents following close behind with the last of his things. He hadn’t packed much. Most of it was for the baby anyway. 5 month old kids needed so much stuff.He was glad that the University had given him a double room all to himself. He didn’t know how he would’ve managed a baby and a roommate. Or a baby in a single.---After losing his childhood best friend, Bitty suddenly finds himself alone at Samwell with a baby. It causes some complications.
Relationships: Eric "Bitty" Bittle/Jack Zimmermann, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: Check Please Oneshots [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1759195
Comments: 6
Kudos: 86





	Dedicating Every Day To You

**Author's Note:**

> hello check please fandom...it has been a good while...i ended up getting a super intense dream smp special interest and check please faded from a special interest to just something that I'm into. i still love it tho. 
> 
> bit of a confession, I wrote this back in like june? and in one sitting too. it was like a fever dream. I'm not sure why I never posted it, because it's pretty good. so I found it like last week and was like "huh i never posted this" so I sent it over to my beta reader and now I am posting it
> 
> title is from dear theodosia from hamilton! enjoy the fic
> 
> my tumblr/twitter: electribunny  
> my check please blog: checksplease  
> beta's tumblr/twitter: h0n04rys3n10r

Alyssa Taylor-Bittle was the most energetic baby that Eric had ever met. And he had a lot of cousins. He wasn’t surprised though. Her mother was one of the most radiant people he had ever met. And Alyssa was following right in her footsteps.

His heart still stung when he thought of Mary-Kate. But it had been a few months. He’d slowly been accepting the fact that she was gone and never coming back. And she had left behind a huge part of herself in Alyssa. She had freckles that dotted her face, and a radiant smile. And most importantly, those beautiful green eyes. 

There he was, starting college in Samwell University. And MK wasn’t there so it wasn’t quite like the plan, but they also weren’t supposed to be teen parents so he supposed that it was okay for them to veer from the plan. 

He’d be the best father he could be to Alyssa. And when she got older, he’d tell her stories of her mother. How it all started. She deserved to know about her. 

\---

He was 4 the first time he met MK. His mother had dressed him up nice, just as she did every Sunday, and he clutched her hand as she led them into the church. 

“I heard that a new family moved into town this week. Hopefully they’ll be here, I’ve been meaning to invite them over for dinner one night!” His mama was talking to his daddy.

“Mhm,” His daddy responded as the greeter handed them programs. 

“Thank you Mark! God bless!” His mama said as they walked into the building. “And Dicky, I think they have a daughter around your age!” 

“Really?” 

“Yeah!” She gripped his hand a little tighter as she led him to the sunday school. Mrs. J greeted him with a smile as they walked in. 

“Suzanne! Little Dicky! Hello!” 

“Hi!” Eric smiled up at her and waved. 

“There’s a new girl here, why don’t you go say hi?” Mrs. J said. 

“Okay!” He let go of his mother's hand and walked into the room. Sitting by herself in the corner was a girl who looked about his age. She had long blonde hair, freckles on her shoulders, and was wearing a very pretty red dress. He went and sat next to her, and she looked at him with wide green eyes. 

“Hello! I’m Eric! But most adults call me Dicky.” 

“Hi Eric! I’m Mary-Kate! But I let my friends call me MK.”

“A nickname!” 

“Yeah! Wanna be friends? Then you can call me MK too!” she said. 

“Sure! I like your dress! Red is my favorite color!” He pointed to her dress. 

“Red is my favorite color too! Now we have to be friends.” 

Mrs J. walked up to them. 

“Hello Dicky! Hello Mary-Kate!” She passed them coloring sheets and crayons as she talked to them

“Hi Mrs. J! MK is my friend now! We both love the color red!” 

“Oh, that’s wonderful! Now, how about we start coloring these pictures while we wait for the other kids to get here!” 

“What are we talking about today Mrs. J?” Eric asked. 

“Noah and the Ark!” 

“Oh!” He turned to MK. “I love that story!” 

“I do too! I don’t tell it around my daddy though.” 

“Why?” Eric asked.

“He doesn’t like it. That’s why my mommy and step dad moved us here. Because he doesn’t like to talk about church. He says it makes him uncomfortable.” 

“But why? I’m never uncomfortable at church.” Eric was confused by the sheer thought of it. He couldn’t imagine stepping into a church and feeling any negative emotion. 

“I don’t know. Mommy won’t tell me. She says I can know when I’m older.” 

  
\---

He sat on the bench, absently lacing up his skates as MK sat beside him, doing the same. Nimble fingers worked on her skates, and he took a second to just look at her. 

MK was pretty. Really pretty. Gorgeous even. When she was older she’d probably go on to be a model. Her eyes were bright, and her smile could outshine the sun. She looked good even with her bright red braces, which was a feat. He didn’t know any girls beside her that looked good in braces. 

“Whatcha lookin at?” She asked, tilting her head up toward him. 

“Nothin’.” He said, trying to cover up the fact that he was caught staring. 

“Well, whatever it is, stop looking silly. We gotta get on the ice soon.” She giggled, and there was that radiant smile again. 

So MK was gorgeous, and his best friend. And they were both 12. He knew this was the time he should start feeling different about her. This was when his heart would flutter when she laughed and he should start wanting to hold her hand and kiss her and...other things. But there she was, smile directed at him, and the feeling wasn’t there. 

He quickly laced up his skates. He didn’t want to think about it. 

“Well, come on Dicky, we gotta warm up.” She stuck her tongue out at him. 

“Don’t call me that.” He sighed, but smiled anyway. She stood up, and held out her hand to help him up too. He kept their hands intertwined as they stepped out onto the ice and began skating. Just to test something. 

Nothing. He felt nothing. He tried to hide his disappointment, and let go of her hand so that they could properly warm up. 

They won. They always did. The judges loved the small town kids story, and he knew that both him and MK were good figure skaters. They were flexible. Strong. Fast. 

Still, it felt good when their names were announced as the first place winners in the duos category. MK’s braid hit his shoulder as she turned to tackle him in a hug. He laughed, and let himself slide back a few inches as he held her. 

“Dicky! Mary! Picture!” He heard his mother call from the sidelines. He wrapped an arm around MK’s waist and went to smile at the camera. As he did, her fingers came to rest on his chin, and she gently pressed her lips to his cheek. 

His mama showed him the picture later. And he had to admit, it was a good picture. He looked genuinely happy, looking more towards MK than the camera, and she was smiling against his skin. 

It was such a good picture, he didn’t know why something bad stirred in his chest when he saw it. 

\---

To say he was nervous was an understatement. He tried to dress up as nice as possible, in his rental suit and brand new red tie. He had spent a lot of time making sure his hair was just right. He held the corsage in his hand. 

He was going to his junior prom with arguably the most beautiful girl in the school. He knew that other people had asked her. But she said no to all of them. All of them except him. 

There was a knock at the door. He went to open it. And there she was. Mary-Kate Taylor. She had just gotten bangs, and they framed her face perfectly. Her blond hair fell to her shoulders in soft curls. Her lips were the same bright red as her dress. 

She was beautiful. She was always beautiful. MK was one of the most attractive girls he had ever met, and probably ever would meet. 

“Eric!” She smiled at him. 

“MK! Wow, you look...gorgeous.” He smiled up at her. She was a little taller than him, but that was amplified by her heels. He didn’t mind, though. 

“Thank you. You look handsome.” 

“Thanks.” He stalled for a little bit. What was he supposed to do then? 

“Eric! Let me get a look at you!” Candice, MK’s mom said. MK stepped away from the doorframe so that her mom and stepdad could enter the house. 

“Look at you! All grown up! I remember when you and Mary-Kate were just little kids! I always knew you would go to prom together!” She pinched his cheeks. 

“Mom.” MK sighed. 

“You don’t mind, do you Eric?” 

“Not at all, Mrs. Taylor.” He assured her. He did mind. He minded a lot. 

“Come on kids, pictures!” His mama said, ushering them all outside. They took a few pictures, standing and smiling. Candice got a video of him and MK exchanging the corsage and boutonniere. 

That was when a car that Eric had only seen a few times in his life pulled up. And Mr. Bailer stepped out of the car. 

“Dad!” MK called out as he stepped out. The rest of the group immediately lost their smiles. But MK had no problem running up to him and embracing him a hug. Eric followed close behind. 

“Katie! Wow, you look amazing! Marcus says that he’s sorry he couldn’t make it, but hey, 2 out of 3 dads ‘aint bad, huh?” He laughed at his own joke, and MK laughed along with him. Eric laughed out of politeness. The rest of the group was silent. 

“And Eric! You’ve grown, son. You take care of my daughter, alright?” 

“Of course, sir.” He smiled at him. 

“Okay, I know that the rest of the adults don’t want me here.” He smiled passive-aggressively toward them. “So, just one picture then I’ll get out of your hair, okay?”

“Yeah!” MK smiled. Eric put his hand around her waist, and they both smiled at the camera. 

“Great picture. Bye Eric. Bye Katie, I love you.” He said. 

“I love you too Dad.” MK smiled sadly at him. 

“Tell Marcus hello for me, okay sir?” Eric asked. 

“Of course, son. Bye now.” 

“Bye!” He waved, before walking off. 

“Well!” Candice loudly cleared her throat before changing the subject. “You two better head out before you miss your dinner reservation.” 

“Oh! Yes! Of course! Richard, honey, could you go get the car keys for Dicky?” His mama said. 

Coach simply nodded, fished them out of his pocket, and threw them toward him. He was thankful for his football reflexes as he grabbed them and shoved them into his own pocket. 

“Have fun kids!” 

“We will!” Eric called back, unlocking the car and helping MK in before getting in himself. 

Prom was fun. He loved dancing, and pop music, and little pastries. And that’s pretty much what prom consisted of. And if he stared at Aaron Jefferson for a couple seconds too long after the senior rid himself of his suit jacket, no one noticed. He tried to shake that thought out of his head. 

He led MK to her front door, walking beside her as she carried her shoes in hand. She set them down as they both stopped at the door, illuminated by the porch light. 

She was beautiful, she really was. And Eric had just spent the whole night with her, dancing with his hands at her waist, laughing with her at dinner, sharing snacks and cookies as they rested their feet. She was beautiful and kind and everything he could ever want in a girl. 

And nothing. He felt nothing. He only thought of her in a platonic sense, no matter how hard he tried. 

But there she was, standing and waiting and looking gorgeous in her dress, and he knew what he was supposed to do. He’d force himself to feel something, damn it. 

“I had fun tonight.” He smiled up at her. 

“I did too. Thank you for taking me.” She smiled back. 

He took a deep breath, gathered all his nerves, and reached his hand up to cup her cheek. She didn’t seem surprised, so he stood up on his toes, and began leaning in. Their lips touched. 

It should’ve been perfect. But it wasn’t. He immediately felt that something was wrong. He pulled back. 

“I-I’m so sorry.” He was panicking. Why was he panicking? Why was he feeling upset in the first place. “I can’t do this. I can’t.” 

“Oh thank god.” She sighed. 

“Huh?” His confusion at her reaction was enough to stop his worrying for a few seconds. 

“Eric, I love you. I love you a lot. And I’ve been trying really hard to have feelings for you. I really have. But no matter how hard I try I only see you as a friend.” 

Eric couldn’t begin to describe his relief. 

“MK?” He said, suddenly feeling brave. 

“Yeah?” 

“I think I’m gay.” He said, and then gasped immediately afterward. He hadn’t even been able to admit it to himself, and yet here he was, saying it out loud to the person who mattered the most. 

“Oh, Eric.” She pulled him into a crushing hug. “Thank you for telling me. You’re so important to me. I’m so glad you trust me.” Her voice wavered a little bit, and he felt his eyes begin to water. 

“Thank you.” His voice was barely a whisper. “Thank you.” 

He didn’t expect his prom to end with him and his date sobbing into each other’s arms. But he wasn’t upset about it either. 

\---

He ran out of hockey practice as soon as he saw who it was that was calling him. MK never called out of the blue unless something was wrong. 

“Eric?” She said as he answered the phone. It sounded like she had been crying. 

“Yeah? MK, what’s wrong?” 

“Oh my god, Eric, I don’t know what I’m going to do.” 

“Are you okay? Do you need me to come get you?” 

“Eric.” She began sobbing again. “Eric, I’m pregnant. My mom is going to kill me. I’m only 17, I don’t know how I’m going to raise a kid on my own.” 

“Have you told Logan yet?” 

“Yeah. He was with me when I took the test. Broke up with me the second it came out positive. Eric, I can’t be a single mom. I can’t raise a kid by myself. What am I going to do?” 

“MK, honey. You don’t have to do this on your own. I’ll be with you every step of the way, you know that, right? Do you want me to come over? I can ditch practice early.” 

“Could you?” 

“Of course. I love you.” 

“Love you too.” 

He was with her every step of the way. Every doctor's appointment. He was with her when she told her mother. He helped her move her things to her dad’s house. He planned the gender reveal party, and had his own private cry alone in the hospital room when he found out it was a girl. He cried again at the party when MK opened the envelope and went to sob into his arms. He made many midnight trips to the store to pick up weird craving foods. He spent hours pouring through name books, and compared lists with her until they both settled on Alyssa. 

And it was the big day. May 27th. He held MK’s hand as another contraction hit, and he cringed as she winced in pain. 

“Remember what the doctor said. Deep breaths.” He mumbled to her. 

“I’m trying.” She mumbled through her teeth. After the contraction came and went, she turned to Eric. 

“Eric, I’ve been meaning to ask you something.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Alyssa is your daughter as much as she is mine at this point. And. I want her to have your last name too. How would you feel about that? Alyssa Taylor-Bittle?” 

He couldn’t help but smile at her. “Alyssa Taylor-Bittle. Our daughter.” He smiled at her. 

Soon, the time was getting closer. The doctors shooed both his and MK’s parents out of the hospital room. He went to kick Eric out too, but MK grabbed his hand. 

“Stay.” She said. Eric nodded, and sat back down. As soon as the door was shut, the doctor looked at them. 

“Mary-Kate.”

“Yeah?” 

“We’re running the diagnostics. And.” He took a deep breath. “I hate this part of my job. Mary-Kate. There’s a good chance that you might not make it through this birth alive.” 

“Oh my god.” Eric whispered. “Oh my god.” 

“I’m so sorry, miss.” The doctor said. “In the event of the worst case scenario, who would you want to receive custody of your daughter?” 

“Eric. Full custody to Eric.”

“Ma’am, he’s only 17, are you sure?” 

“Yes, she’s sure.” Eric snapped. 

“Alright. I’ll give you guys a moment alone. Ring the nurse when you want your family back in.” He walked out, and the door clicked quietly behind them. 

“Eric.” MK began crying. “Eric.” 

“Shhh. Shhh. It’s going to be okay.” He didn’t believe it. But he was more concerned about MK than anything else. 

“Eric. Thank you. Thank you so much. You’ve been so amazing to me. I couldn’t have asked for a better best friend. Don’t miss me too much, okay?” 

“MK, no, don’t talk like that.” 

“I love you. I love you so much.” She gripped his hand a little tighter as another contraction came through. 

“I love you too.” Eric couldn’t hold back the tears. He leaned in and pressed his lips to her forehead. “Mary-Kate. You’ve done so much for me. You’re gonna make it through this. And we’re going to raise a beautiful daughter together, okay? I love you so much.” 

He left the room to let her dads say their goodbyes. He was almost tempted to call Candice. He ended up not calling her though. She probably wouldn’t make it fast enough, and even if she could, he wasn’t sure MK wanted to spend her potential last moments with the woman that abandoned her. Candice probably wouldn’t pick up anyway. 

In the end, it was only him and the doctors with her. MK made her final push, and out came a crying baby. 

“Alyssa.” MK whispered. Eric cut the umbilical cord, and then she was quickly placed into her mother’s arms. “My baby. My bunny. Hi! I love you so so so much.” She reached a shaking hand out to stroke Alyssa’s face. 

She flatlined a few seconds later. 

“No!” Eric shouted. “No no no.” He grabbed MK’s hand, and began sobbing when it didn’t squeeze back. A nurse rushed in to grab the baby, and he leaned his head into her chest and began crying into it. 

He didn’t know how long he had been crying. Just that after a while, someone was tapping on his shoulder. He looked up to see a group of nurses surrounding him. One of them was holding the baby. 

“Mr. Bittle. Congratulations on a healthy baby girl. We are so sorry for your loss.” One of them said, placing the baby in his arms. 

The baby. His baby. His little baby daughter. He looked down at her. She was crying. 

“Oh, no, don’t cry. It’s okay bunny. Daddy’s got you. Alyssa, baby, don’t cry.” He whispered, reaching out toward her. She wrapped her tiny hand around one of his fingers, and he had to blink the tears away from his eyes. 

He had spent so much time reassuring MK that she wouldn’t be alone through the pregnancy. She would never have to raise a kid on her own. He would die before he let her be a single parent at 17. 

There he was. A single parent. At 17. And MK was gone. She was gone and she wasn’t coming back. Alyssa slowly fell asleep in his arms as he cried. 

Eric vowed right there and then to be the best damn dad in the entire universe. 

\---

Samwell was beautiful. And things were going to plan. Except for the part where MK wasn’t with him. He held Alyssa in his arms as he walked to his dorm, his parents following close behind with the last of his things. He hadn’t packed much. Most of it was for the baby anyway. 5 month old kids needed so much stuff. 

He was glad that the University had given him a double room all to himself. He didn’t know how he would’ve managed a baby and a roommate. Or a baby in a single. 

His mama swiped his room key for him, and they stepped into the room. Eric had already pushed the two beds together to make himself a large double bed, and a crib had been placed against the wall for Alyssa. 

“This is the last of it, right?” Eric turned to his parents. 

“Yup. Should be.” Coach said. 

“Well. I guess this is it then.” He shifted his weight from one foot to another. 

“Yeah.” His mama replied. 

“Bunny, say bye to Nana and Papa!” He picked up her hand, and waved it to them as he raised his voice an octave. “Bye Nana! Bye Papa! I love you!” 

Alyssa didn’t know what was going on, but she giggled all the same. She was already as radiant as her mother was. He set her down in the crib, made sure she was secure, and went to give his parents a proper hug. 

“Dicky, baby. We love you so much.” His mama choked out. “If you need anything, you call us, okay? Me and your daddy will fly up here at the drop of a hat.” 

“I know mama. I know.” Eric pulled away from the hug. 

“Stay safe, son. I love you.” Coach said, patting him on the shoulder a couple times. 

“I love you too.” He smiled at his parents. “You two fly safe, alright?” 

“Okay. We love you.” His mama gave him one last hug before they walked out. He was alone. 

Alyssa cooed in her crib. Okay, maybe not completely alone. He picked her up, and brought her to the wall, where a couple pictures were hung up with clothespins and string. There was one of him and MK, standing in front of the church in matching formal attire on Christmas Day, no older than 5. One of them trading Easter candy when they were about 7. The picture from the skating competition when they were 12. Their junior prom photo. One of him touching MK’s baby bump at her gender reveal party. 

“That’s your mama. She was a very wonderful woman. And someday you’ll grow up to be a very wonderful woman too.” 

He couldn’t stay and linger on the past for too long. There was a reason he was on campus earlier than the majority of the student population. He grabbed a wrap from Alyssa’s diaper bag, and began tying it around himself. He stuck her in after confirming that it was secure. He then grabbed her diaper bag, placed in her carrier, and slung his hockey bag around his shoulder. He was thankful that Alyssa’s carrier had wheels as he leaned down to extend the handle out. 

He knew the way to Faber thanks to the campus tour. And he had to admit, it was beautiful. He loved Georgia, but he couldn’t have picked a better place for Alyssa to spend her formative years. He was grateful Samwell was such a progressive school, because he had managed to work out a deal with the administrators and the hockey team that would let him get a degree, keep his hockey scholarship, and still be a dad. Once the on campus babysitting opened, he would take Alyssa there for hockey practices. He was allowed to take her with him to class. And he was welcome to take Alyssa with them on any roadies. 

He was feeling good as he stepped into the rink. A few eyes snapped to him, although he quickly ignored it. He had gotten used to the strange looks in the first month of him being a teen dad. 

“Bittle! Welcome back!” Coach Murray called from the bench, where everyone was seated. It seemed that only about half the team was there, so he walked over, and set down his stuff. 

“Thank you, Coach!” He smiled at them. 

“Everyone, this is Bittle!” Coach Hall called out to the team. He knew that they had all been told about Alyssa beforehand, but being told that your teammate had a baby, and actually seeing the baby in person were two different things. He tried to make himself look as friendly as possible, which was thankfully something he was good at. 

“Hello, y’all!” He smiled at the team. “I’m Eric Bittle! And this is my daughter, Alyssa! She’ll be coming to practice with us until the on campus babysitting opens up.” 

A couple of the members blinked at him in shock. But luckily for him, someone stood up and quickly began talking. 

“Brah. Can I just say. You’ve got like...the cutest fucking baby ever. I’m Shitty Knight, nice to meet ya.” 

“I’m sorry, did you say that your name is Shitty?” Eric took a step back. 

“Long story.” Shitty shrugged. 

“Well, it’s nice to meet you too! And thank you! I can’t really take credit for her looks though. As far as biology goes, she isn’t mine.” 

“Fuck biology. If she’s your daughter she’s your daughter. She is cute as shit though.”

“Would you like to hold her?” Eric asked. 

“Can I?”

“Yeah! Of course! Here, sit down.” Eric said. He took Alyssa out of her wrap, showed Shitty how to hold her, then handed her off. Shitty sat and smiled at her for awhile, before a few other teammates that were sitting around walked up, curious. 

“Yo, Shits was right. You’ve got a beautiful fuckin’ baby.” The tall one with glasses said. 

“Chyea.” The other equally tall one agreed. “I’m Ransom, he’s Holster.” He stuck his hand out. 

“Nice to meet you guys!” Eric smiled at them. 

“Now that you’re here, you need an official SMH nickname.” Holster said. Shitty and Ransom immediately got to work rattling off nicknames. 

“Bitter.” 

“Nah.” 

“Bitsle.” 

“No.” 

“Bitom?”

“Nope.” 

“Bitty?” 

“Yes!” Holster’s face lit up. “Bitty!”

“Bitty.” Eric tried out the name. “I like it.” 

“Ohhh my god, bro. I just had the best idea.” Ransom said, turning to Holster. 

“What is it bro?” 

“Hockey nickname for the baby.” 

“Ohhh my god. Bitty. What’s her last name. We need it. For science.” Holster said. 

“Taylor-Bittle,” He said. 

“Taylor. Like Taylor Swift.” Ransom joked. 

“Call her swifty.” Shitty said. 

“Nah, that's what Taylor Swift calls her fans. That’s just weird.” Holster responded. 

“Swiffer!” Ransom said. 

“Yes! Two great nicknames in a row. Bitty and Baby Swiffer. I like it.” Holster smiled. 

While they were talking, the rest of the team had filed into the room. The coaches called for their attention, so they all sat down. Bitty quietly took Alyssa back from Shitty. He didn’t want her crying during their speech, and she didn’t like to be held by strangers for too long. 

“Samwell Men’s Hockey!” Coach Hall called out. “Welcome back to the returning players, and welcome to our new players. Boys, let's give a warm welcome to O’meara, Wicks, and Bittle!” The players clapped. “As you all should know, one of our team members this year has a kid. Bittle, would you like to say anything?” 

“Oh! Um. Well, Hi everyone. This is my daughter Alyssa. Or Swiffer, apparently. Ransom and Holster gave her a nickname. She’s only going to be attending practices with us until the on campus babysitting opens, but she will be going with us on roadies. She’s a very good baby though, she won’t get in the way. I promise. And, um, if you ever wanna hold her or anything, feel free to ask. I think that’s it!” 

\---

Things were going great. Better than great, even. Bitty had 24/7 kitchen access thanks to the Haus, which Ransom and Holster had baby proofed with terrifying efficiency. He was passing his classes, playing good hockey, and he even managed to attend a few kegsters, thanks to shilling out some extra dollars for an overnight babysitter. The whole team took him and Alyssa in with open arms. 

Well, the whole team except for one. 

He didn’t know what Jack’s problem was with him. Or Alyssa. He knew that he was some hockey prodigy or whatever, but he didn’t have to be an asshole just because he was on his way to the NHL. So Bitty was  _ terribly sorry _ if his daughter put a dent in his perfectly planned out future, but they existed in Jack’s bubble whether he liked it or not. 

Bitty shook his head, and took the pie out of the oven. He cut it up, plated up three slices, and carried them to the living room. Ransom and Holster were sitting on the floor, as Alyssa took tentative steps between them. She had taken her first steps the week before, and they had freaked out when Bitty sent a picture to the group chat. 

“Woah! Careful Swiffs!” Holster smiled as he saved her from tripping over her own feet once again. 

“Boys, pie! Blackberry Pear!” He set down the three plates on the counter, and picked up Alyssa as they went in for their slices. Bitty still didn’t really trust the couch, but he also didn’t want to feed Alyssa on the floor. 

“And it’s time for you to eat your lunch, bunny.” He smiled down at her, tapping her nose just to hear her giggle. He grabbed the formula bottle he made earlier from the coffee table, and pressed it to her mouth. Once he made sure she had a good grip on the bottle, he began eating his own pie.

They ate in a comfortable silence for a little while until the front door opened. Bitty looked up and saw Jack enter the living room, in his workout clothes. Bitty assumed he was on a run. 

“Hello Jack! There’s pie in the kitchen if you’d like some!” 

“I’m good.” He said curtly, and left to head upstairs. 

“The hell is his problem.” Bitty muttered. Alyssa seemed done with her bottle, so Bitty set it down. He plucked a berry out of his pie, and pressed it to her lips. She mashed on it thoughtfully as Bitty set down his plate and prepared to burp her. 

“Jack’s a little closed off, that’s all. Give him time.” Ransom said. 

“I’ve been giving him time! It’s been months! I’m trying!” Bitty said, exasperated. 

He might’ve been inclined to give Jack the benefit of the doubt, except he was now forcing Bitty to get up at ungodly hours in the morning, so that he could slam him into the boards for hours. And it was so early in the morning that he had no choice but to pack Alyssa up in her carrier, get her settled on the closest bench, and hope that she was able to sleep through the sound of two grown men slamming into the boards. 

Jack had no respect for him. What made him think that he could force a single dad to get up early every morning just because he doesn’t play hockey to his standards. 

Jack huffed as Bitty skated back from helping Alyssa. Her pacifier had fallen out, and he had to pop it back in her mouth before she woke up. 

“Do you really have to check up on her that much? She’s right there. We can see her. She can see us. You’re wasting time.” 

“Jack.” Bitty glared up at him. “She’s a baby. She’s my fucking daughter. I’m not gonna put hockey before my own kid. I’m not a shitty dad.” That seemed to shut him up. They did the rest of their checking practice in silence. Not even a peep when Bitty went to check up on her. They walked over to team breakfast in silence. Bitty hoped he would chill. 

Really, really, hoped he would chill. Because Alyssa was teething again, and she had been up all night crying. He was thankful that most of his floormates were gone at some sorority party. But Bitty hadn’t got a wink of sleep, and he didn’t know if he could handle Jack lecturing him again. He was seriously considering quitting. 

Speak of the devil, there was a knock at the door. It was enough to wake up Alyssa, who immediately started crying again. Bitty sighed, and fought the urge to cry himself. 

“Come in!” He called. Jack opened the door and stepped in. Bitty gave Jack the dirtiest look he could muster as he walked into the room. 

“Huh. You’re normally still in bed right now.” Jack said. 

“Hello to you too.” Bitty rolled his eyes. “It’s a little difficult to still be in bed when you never went to bed in the first place.” 

“Why didn’t you sleep? Bittle, you know that’s not healthy.” Jack frowned down at him. Just as he said that, Alyssa dropped her teether, and began screaming all over again. 

“I wonder why.” He said, reaching over to grab Alyssa and put her teether back in her mouth. He picked her up and pulled her into his arms. 

“Shhhh, don’t cry bunny. It’s gonna be okay. Daddy’s got you. I know it hurts. Shhh, I know.” He whispered to her, stroking her hair as he tried to coax her back to sleep. 

“Why do you call her bunny?” Jack asked. 

“Oh, it’s what MK called her when she was first born. It was the only thing she ever got to tell Alyssa. So it just kinda stuck.” 

“Is MK her mum? Where is she now? Why isn’t she helping you take care of the baby.” 

“You really wanna know where Mary-Kate is?” 

“Yeah?” Jack raised an eyebrow, confused. 

“Row 14, grave 5. Madison Graveyard.” 

“Oh. Bittle. I didn’t know. I’m sorry.” Bitty was going to counter it with another snarky comment, but when he looked up, Jack looked genuinely sorry. 

“Thank you.” He nodded to the wall above the crib, where all her pictures were hung up. 

“Is this her?” 

“Yeah.” 

“She’s pretty. You two look pretty close. You knew each other for a long time?”

“13 years. She was my best friend.” He tried to avoid the way his eyes got misty. He wasn’t going to cry in front of Jack. It was silent for a while, before Jack turned to him. 

“Hey, Bittle?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Go to sleep. We don’t have to do checking practice today.” 

“I’d love to, but unfortunately Alyssa kind of needs someone holding her 24/7 right now.” Bitty said. In response, Jack just held his arms out. 

“Go to sleep. Captain's orders. I’ll take care of her.”

\---

After that fateful day, Jack had done a complete 180. Bitty would even go as far as to say that he was competing with Ransom and Holster for the spot of “Who loves Alyssa most.” He often stopped by Bitty’s dorm with a new dress or bib that he saw at the store and wanted to get for her. He insisted on giving Bitty money to buy expensive formula that he couldn’t afford on his own. And Bob Zimmermann himself had given her a soft pink onesie on parents weekend. He was shocked that Jack had told his parents about her. 

For Christmas Jack got Bitty a pair of expensive new skates, and a shiny new stick to match. Alyssa was given a beautiful custom mobile. Bitty didn’t realize until a few weeks afterwards that he hadn’t spent nearly as much on the other teammates. 

They were currently sitting outside, basking in the early May sun with the rest of the team as Bitty opened gifts for Alyssa. He was going to be in Georgia for her actual birthday, so they were all celebrating it early. He ripped open the paper on Ransom and Holster’s gift, and giggled as he opened it. Two custom onesies, meant to look like jerseys. A Leafs and a Bruins one. They both said “Swiffer.” on the back, with a big number 15. 

“Oh! Wow! Thank you so much!” He smiled, holding them both up for the group to see. Alyssa reached for them from when she was sitting in his lap. He smiled, and set them down so that she could grab them. 

“We got them a little big so that way she could grow into them.” Ransom explained. “That way she can wear them during the actual hockey season.” 

“These are amazing! Thank you so much you two!” He smiled at both of them, and reached for the last present. The tag read “For Bittle and Baby Swiffer.” In the neat handwriting that he had learned was Jack’s. He opened the carefully wrapped paper, and saw a kids book, as well as a small stuffed bunny. The book was titled “Monsieur Lapin.” And the bunny on the cover seemed to match the stuffed bunny. 

“This was my favorite book when I was a little kid. I would make my maman read it to me every night. That’s why I laughed when I learned about Senior Bun.” Jack explained. 

“Oh! Oh wow! Thank you so much!” Bitty looked at Jack, and tried to give him his most genuine smile. Jack was a very thoughtful gift giver, and this was no exception. Alyssa abandoned the two onesies in favor of reaching forward for Monsieur Lapin. Bitty laughed and handed it to her. 

“Look, she loves it!” Bitty smiled. He looked up and Jack smiled too. 

He was radiant. In that moment, sitting there, smiling in the sun, he couldn’t help but compare him to MK. 

MK was beautiful. Bitty insisted that she was the most gorgeous girl that he had ever met and ever would meet. But as he looked at Jack, he felt his stomach flutter a little bit. He felt his cheeks flush. 

He was willing to bet that he would feel something if they held hands. If they kissed. 

He quickly looked away. He would never get the chance to test that theory. 

Bitty was worried about taking Alyssa on the plane. He had stayed in Samwell for fall break and driven to Georgia for winter, but his parents simply didn’t have the time to drive up and get them. Luckily, they made it through security no problem, and Bitty was placed next to a very kind mother with many children who helped him soothe her through the altitude change. He thanked her immensely, and before he knew it, they had landed safely in Georgia. 

It was good to see his Mama and Coach again. They commented on how big Alyssa had gotten, and how good it was that her birthday happened to be during summer break. They chatted idly the whole way back to the house. His mama had updated all the baby stuff in his room to accommodate the fact that she had grown. He sighed, laying down on his bed with Alyssa. It was nice to be home. 

“Hey, Dicky?” His mama came by and knocked on the door. “You don’t have to go right now, but Marcus and Kerry came by earlier. They want to see you and Alyssa sometime this week before you go.” 

“Oh! Of course!” He turned to Alyssa. “You wanna go see Gramps and Pops sometime this week?” She just smiled up at him, and he smiled. His mama left the room, and he went to call Kerry. 

“Mr. Bailer!” He said as the man picked up. “How are you?” 

“I’m doing good, how are you, son?” 

“I’m doing very good as well. Hey, my mama just told me that you want me and Alyssa to stop by sometime this week? We just landed a couple hours ago.” 

“Oh, yeah! Of course! Marcus and I miss the both of you so much! What time works for you?” 

“We could get dinner tomorrow night, if you two aren’t busy?” Bittle offered. 

“No, that’s perfect. I’ll make reservations at that chinese place that they’ve been building. It opened about a month ago. And let me tell you son, some of the best chinese food I’ve ever had.” 

“Well, I’ll have to see for myself, won’t I?” As he spoke Alyssa started fussing, and he realized he should probably put her down for a nap. “Anyway, the baby needs me, so if everything is sorted I think I’m gonna hop off now. Tell Marcus hello for me!” 

“Of course! I’ll text you the details for tomorrow night. Goodbye, Son!” 

“Bye Mr. Bailer!” Bitty hung up the phone, and went to change Alyssa into pajamas. He placed her in her crib with Monsieur Lapin, and went to sit back down when she looked up at him. 

“Dada?” 

“Oh my goodness!” He gasped. “Yeah! Dada! That’s me! I’m Dada!” 

“Dada!” She said again, giggling. 

“Yes! Oh my goodness!” He picked her up and spun her around, before planting a huge kiss right on her forehead. He set her back in the crib before smiling down at her. 

“I love you so much Bunny.” He smiled at her, then flopped down on his bed. He could use a nap of his own. 

Dinner with the Bailer’s was fun. He really did love MK’s dads. And they took him in as one of their own the second she moved in with them. He told them all about Alyssa’s first word as they took turns spoon feeding her a can of baby food. And Kerry was right, it was some of the best chinese food he had ever eaten. 

  
At the end of the night, Kerry turned to him and said “Katie would be proud of you son. You’re doing great things. And being a great dad.” Bitty managed to only cry a little bit. 

The next morning was Alyssa’s birthday. He set an alarm, woke up before sunrise, and woke up Alyssa by quietly singing happy birthday to her. He smiled at her as she slowly woke up. It was hard to believe that it had already been a year since she had been born. 

It was hard to believe that it had already been a year since he lost MK. 

Alyssa idly played with Monsieur Lapin as he got dressed in a pair of black dress pants, paired with a nice black button up. He tied his shoes, checked to make sure that he looked good in the mirror, then dressed Alyssa up a nice black dress he had gotten just for the occasion. He grabbed her bag, snuck downstairs, grabbed his dad’s truck keys, and attempted to start up the car with as little noise as possible. 

The sun was just starting to rise as they arrived at the graveyard. He brought Alyssa through the rows to the spot that he knew well. He had fresh flowers he had picked up the night before, which he placed on the grave. 

“Hey MK. I can’t believe it’s been a year already. I miss you so much. You wouldn’t believe it.” He giggled as Alyssa watched a butterfly pass by. “Our bunny is so big. I can’t believe it’s already her birthday. She’s gonna have cake for the first time today. I’m pretty excited to see how she’ll react. I can’t wait until she’s old enough to have pie. Sometimes I give her the filling, but it isn’t quite the same without the crust. You know this. You were always taking samples while I baked.” He laughed. 

“She said her first word the other day. Dada. I think that if you were still here, it would be mama.” He took a deep breath. “I worry everyday about if I’m doing enough. Am I an adequate parent? What if her development is stunted? Children need their mothers.” The tears were forming in his eyes. 

“We miss you. We miss you so much. Fuck, I miss you. It’s scary, doing this on my own. But, it’s worth it. Our daughter is...amazing. She looks so much like you.” He leaned on her tombstone and let the tears flow. “I love you. I love you so much.” He sat up and went to grab the baby. 

“Alyssa, bunny.” He said after they had stood up. “Say bye bye to mama.” He waved at the grave. 

“Mama.” She whispered, waving with him. 

He managed to get her strapped into her car seat before he broke down again. 

\---

She had loved her birthday. She hadn’t loved the process of moving so much. But Bitty felt much more comfortable raising a kid in the Haus than he did in the dorm room. A close by kitchen, a bathtub available 24/7, and a whole group of people who didn’t care if she was up all night crying. 

It was a huge relief. His life settled back into normal. He had taken the new freshman under his wing, and they had taken to Alyssa pretty quickly as well. Especially Dex. He had so many siblings, it wasn’t a surprise that he was so careful and gentle with the baby. 

Checking practice became a lot easier too. Now that he lived in the Haus there was no shortage of people wanting to watch Alyssa. Ransom and Holster especially had no problem getting up early to watch her while Jack pushed him over his mental block. 

The crush he was nursing on Jack was growing worse too. It didn’t help that Jack was making such an effort to be an active part in his and Alyssa’s life. 

He didn’t have to think too hard to imagine a future where him and Jack were married, raising Alyssa and maybe another kid together. He put a lot of energy into quelling these thoughts as much as possible. 

So Jack slammed him into the boards, and bought him coffee frequently, and sang french nursery rhymes to Alyssa under his breath when he thought Bitty couldn’t hear, and read Monsieur Lapin to her when he thought Bitty could hear, and began spending more and more time with him in the kitchen. 

The butterflies in his chest were getting harder and harder to ignore. 

For once, the frogs were getting along as Bitty prepared for board game night. He pulled a pie out of the oven, and listened as Dex tried to show Nursey the proper way to hold Alyssa. She was getting big enough that you didn’t have to be as careful about how you held her, but he didn’t tell them that. She was one of the few things that could get the boys to get along, and he wasn’t about to ruin that. 

“Woah! Hands to yourself, Swiffer!” He heard Nursey exclaim, and when he turned around, she was reaching up for Nursey’s hair. He laughed, before swooping in to grab her. 

“Hey, bunny, let’s not touch Nursey’s hair, okay?’ He tapped her nose just to hear her erupt into giggles like she always did. He kissed the top of her head, then handed her to Chowder, who was reaching for her with his arms outstretched. 

“You can touch my hair anytime you want Swiffs.” He smiled down at her. 

“You say that until she gets food in your hair.” Bitty smiled at him. 

“Kid hands are sticky.” Dex chimed in. 

“Hey guys.” Jack came in from his run, and grabbed a water bottle from the fridge, chugging some of it down before going to sit. As soon as he sat, Alyssa reached toward him, and everyone laughed as Chowder passed her off. 

“Hello Jack!” Bitty smiled at him. “How was your run?” 

“It was good.” He smiled back up at Bitty, before looking down to tickle Alyssa. She giggled loudly, and reached out for him, pulling on his arm hair. “Woah, Swiffer, ouch!” He stopped ticking her, and everyone laughed even harder. 

“Well, you better go get showered, Mr. Zimmermann. Board game night is in t-minus 45.” Bitty put the brownies in the oven, and walked over to get his daughter from Jack. 

“Yeah, sure.” He got up, and headed upstairs. Bitty chatted with the frogs idly as he continued to bake. Game night was tons of fun, although it was slightly spoiled by knowing it was possible Jack and Shitty’s last game night. 

He would miss them. He would miss Jack especially. Alyssa would probably miss Jack too. Out of all the teammates, he was probably the one she had bonded the most with. It made sense, considering he was the teammate that Bitty spent the most time with. 

—-

Jack ended up kissing him at graduation. He was still standing, shell shocked in what was now Chowder’s room. A few minutes prior Jack had been standing there, his lips on Bitty’s. 

Jack was going to text him. He was going to text him. Bitty squealed, and held his phone closer to his chest. 

He didn’t have time to revel in the newfound butterflies for too long. His daughter was currently in the arms of Lardo. And as much as she loved Alyssa, she did not love holding babies for long periods of time. 

He let himself have a moment more before returning outside. A boy had kissed him. A very attractive boy, at that. And he had kissed him back. He had kissed him back and was going to text him later and they were going to start something wonderful. 

MK would’ve been so proud of him. 

**Author's Note:**

> kudos and comments are forever appreciated, so feel free to leave either if you feel so inclined!


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